According to a report from Tom Curran, former Lions QB Matthew Stafford was fine being traded to just about any of the teams that showed interest, except for the Patriots.
Curran was told this from a source with a team that was heavily involved in trade talks for Stafford, but ultimately wasn’t able to outbid the Rams for the veteran.
Stafford had a hearty taste of “the Patriot way” under former HC Matt Patricia for a few seasons in Detroit that obviously didn’t go well, so Curran notes it’s not surprising that he wouldn’t want to sign up for more.
Patricia is actually back on the Patriots’ staff, but it’s unclear how much he would have actually had contact with Stafford on offense. Regardless, the point is moot.
The Patriots now will have to turn their attention elsewhere to find their starting quarterback for the 2021 season and potentially beyond.
The Rams executed a blockbuster trade for Stafford Saturday night, about a week before the Super Bowl, sending a third-round pick in 2021, QB Jared Goff and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 to the Lions.
Stafford, 32, is a former first-round pick of the Lions back in 2009. He was in the final year of his five-year, $76.5 million contract when he and the Lions agreed to a five-year, $135 million extension back in 2017.
In 2020, Stafford appeared in all 16 games for the Lions and completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 112 yards.
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